An Aegean Cruise From Çesme, Turkey!

05/12/202330/06/2026wareontheglobe 1 Comment

When we visited Turkey last summer (July 2023), I really wanted to visit the proper Turkish Riviera. We seriously looked at the towns Bodrum, Kos, Alaçati, Çesme, and Izmir, and choose Izmir, even though its not the real Turkish Riviera, due to its proximity to the airport and Ephesus historical site and reasonable price. We also needed Marriott nights, and Izmir has a lovely Marriott. I was fine with our decision but wanted to experience the Turkish Rivera, at least for a day. Enter a boat tour from Çesme and an afternoon strolling the town. This article details our experience. In brief, Çesme is a cute tourist town and the boat showed us gorgeous coast, but I am not sure I would squeeze a Çesme day into an Izmir itinerary again – it deserves its own couple days!

Çesme. This reminded me a lot of Rhodes, Greece (which is quite close by).

ÇESME, TURKEY

Çesme, apparently meaning “fountain”, is a small Turkish town on the Aegean sea at the tip of the Çesme peninsula. The name Çesme also refers to the greater Çesme area and includes the popular destination town of Alaçati. Çesme is a favored holiday destination with Turks, is slowly becoming more well-known with the international crowd, and can get quite crowded in the summer. Numerous tourist lodging options crowd the area, with a modern highway connecting the town of Çesme to Izmir, the closest big city and international airport. In terms of a destination, Çesme is a very cute little town and enjoys gorgeous views of the Aegean. One could easily waste away a few days enjoying the sun and sea.

A ship statue in Çesme. Everything seems to have a nautical theme here.

For tourist purposes, Çesme is most famous for its Ottoman old town and its ruined castle, of which the walls are fairly well preserved. Tourists can visit both on foot in a couple hours. The real point of Çesme is to relax and enjoy the day.

Welcome to Çesme!

We got to Çesme by taking an Uber (yes, the American app) from our hotel in Izmir. The ride took about 45 minutes. We took a taxi coming back, as we could not find an Uber. Alternatively, a bus runs regularly between Çesme and Izmir (we probably should have taken this but were lazy).

Continue reading →

Hotel Review: Izmir Marriott Hotel

28/11/202330/06/2026wareontheglobe 3 Comments

Dan and I stayed at the Izmir, Turkey Marriott hotel for four nights in July 2023. We choose the Izmir Marriott over some other properties because the hotel looked nice online, was reasonably priced, and offered a rooftop pool and lounge, plus our trip was concentrated more on sightseeing than beach/pooling so the beaches surrounding Izmir did not appeal to us on this trip. This post reviews our stay in the Izmir Marriott, which we really enjoyed!

View from the Izmir Marriott’s Executive Lounge patio, which is just above the hotel’s main entrance.

THE IZMIR MARRIOTT & ITS LOCALE

Opened in 2021, the Izmir Marriott is a modern property located on the waterfront in central Izmir. Hotel guests can walk to numerous restaurants, shops and sites of interest, including the Kemeraltı Bazaar (that we toured) and Konak pier, from the hotel. The Marriott in Izmir is comprised of 8 floors, in addition to a usable rooftop and basement Turkish bath and spa. During our stay, the clientele was mostly foreigners, including many Americans. The majority of the staff spoke good English, and we received a very warm welcome on arrival.

View of the surrounding area from the Marriott entrance.

The first floor and entrance of the Izmir Marriott is smartly decorated and holds the checkin area, as well as a coffee bar and the waterfront Lima restaurant, where a large breakfast is served daily, in addition to lunch and dinner. Guest rooms largely comprise the remaining seven floors. The Marriott’s fabulous spa is located in the basement level, and the main hotel pool and a late night bar and restaurant occupy the rooftop.

OUR ROOM AT THE IZMIR MARRIOTT

We booked a standard King room with a City View with cash at the Izmir Marriott, which only cost about $145 USD in July 2023. We also requested a Suite Night Award (“SNA”) upgrade for all four nights that we had available due to our Marriott Platinum status, which we actually received (yay!). In light of the SNA upgrade, we stayed in a Corner King City View suite, which offered both city and (partial) sea views. As you can see in the below pictures, our the room is located on front left corner of the hotel and opened into a small hallway, with the bathroom on the left and a closet area on the right. At the end of the small hallway, the room expanded to include a very comfortable, and American style, King size bed, a work desk, a small kitchenette area, including a fully stocked mini bar (for pay) and a coffee and tea maker, safe, hairdryer, a very chic chair overlooking the partial sea view, and a couch and small table on the opposite side of the room. The main selling point of this suite were the curved floor to ceiling windows on each corner, which was really very cool. We loved opening the curtains and watching the city go about its day, especially in the early morning and at sunset.

Continue reading →

3 Days In Cappadocia, Türkiye!

07/11/202330/06/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Dan and I first visited Türkiye back in 2010 on a Mediterranean cruise after taking the bar examination in the US. We were super excited for this stop a decade ago, and spent nearly 24 hours in the Istanbul port. We have been meaning to return since, but it didn’t happen until we visited Izmir, Cappadocia and Istanbul over 11 days in July 2023! This articles details what we did in Cappadocia, as well as whether 3 days was enough time in Cappadocia!

Cappadocia, Türikye. This is the Valley of the Pidgeons.

Cappadocia, Türkiye

Cappadocia, Türkiye is an ancient region (yes, region, not a town/city) in Central Anatolia, Turkey, i.e. right in the middle of the country. The Cappadocia region dates back prior to 499 BC (!) and presently is separated into 5 provinces. Cappadocia is currently super popular as being the magical “balloon town” in Turkey, where hot air balloons literally fly through the towns (well, Göreme specifically) every morning. Cappadocia is also well known for its otherworld looks, including wild rock formations and fairy chimneys.

Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia.

For planning purposes, prime tourist Cappadocia mainly consists of 3 small towns – Gorëme, Uçhisar and Avanos. These towns are the closest to the main Cappadocia sites, and well suited for tourists. We stayed in Gorëme, which is the largest of these three towns and is home to many hotels, including cave hotels, restaurants, shops and nightlife. Gorëme is also the main town to view the magical hot air balloons most mornings. Uçhisar, apparently popular with the French, is located on a hill top just down the road. Uçhisar is famously home to Uçhisar castle, as well as restaurants, shops and some nightlife. Finally, Avanos felt more like a town, with the Kızılırmak River running through it and numerous local pottery shops. There is a DoubleTree by Hilton in Avanos for those seeking Western accommodation.

Göreme town in Cappadocia.

Continue reading →

What Its Like To Fly A Hot Air Balloon In Cappadocia, Türkiye!

31/10/202330/06/2026wareontheglobe 4 Comments

Happy Halloween, one of my favorite holidays! As I have only been away once for Halloween (Prague in 2004), I decided to write about the scariest thing I have recently done – a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Türkiye this summer!

Us at approximately 2800 feet!

As you may know, Dan and I spent a few days in Cappadocia, Türkiye last summer (July 2023) and while there, took one of those famous hot air balloon rides. In sum, the ride was fantastic and we were so happy that we took the ride. That being said, it was also mildly terrifying and expensive, and I don’t think we will do it again. This post details our experience from start to finish!

CAPPADOCIA HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES IN GENERAL

Hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia are a “thing” year round. Numerous operators run daily flights at dawn, and sometimes a second, afternoon flight in the winter when the air is cooler. While many operators offer hot air balloon rides, the number of operators are capped, and hot air balloon rides do sell out during busy periods. A simple Google search will yield numerous companies offering these types of tours in Cappadocia. I suggest booking far in advance if this is something that you “must do.”

What Its Like To Fly A Hot Air Balloon In Cappadocia, Türkiye!

Many companies have their name proudly displayed on the balloon, including both balloon companies and other businesses (like banks).

Continue reading →

Topdeck Cave Restaurant – Possibly the Best Restaurant in Cappadocia!

29/09/202330/06/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Mezze at Topdeck Cave Restaurant, Cappadocia, Turkey.

In preparation for our trip to Cappadocia, Turkey in July 2023, I scoured online reviews for the best restaurants, and I kept hitting dead ends. Everything seemed touristy, and nothing jumped out as fantastic. In any case, despite loathing the English name, I ended up making a reservation two weeks before our trip at Topdeck Cave Restaurant via Instagram messenger based on many great reviews and the fact that it was located in Göreme (one of Cappadocia’s 3 main areas), a 5 minute walk from our hotel. I showed up not expecting much, but Topdeck Cave Restaurant ended up being family run and fantastic. It was so good that we made a second dinner reservation as soon as we finished our meal!

Topdeck Cave Restaurant. Side note, there is no “top deck.”

Topdeck Cave Restaurant

Topdeck Cave Restaurant is a tiny restaurant located on the ground floor of one of Göreme’s cave “houses.” In fact, the restaurant is even rumored to be located on the ground floor of its owner’s home! In any case, again, the space is small with a few traditional “floor level” tables and a few Western tables. The floor level seating is fantastic for photographs, but we preferred the Western tables for comfort. Despite our preference, the floor level tables seemed much more popular. As you can see from the pictures below, most of the traditional tables have a “REZERVE” sign, showing how popular the restaurant was in July. Book in advance for one of the traditional tables – they did seem lovely for photographs!